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Trump On Evangelicals: They Really Love Me

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Donald Trump says evangelical Christians "really do get me."

He's bragging about his support from the group also pursued by rival Ted Cruz just hours before the leadoff Iowa caucuses.

Trump says at a rally in Waterloo Monday morning that "the evangelicals have been unbelievable to Donald Trump."

"Boy do they understand me. They understand me better than anybody," he adds.

The thrice-married Trump may seem an unusual fit for the conservative Christian voters that play a large role in Iowa. But he has won the support of many, including Liberty University founder Jerry Falwell Jr.

Trump said Monday that if he's president, he'll "protect Christianity," which he says is under siege. He also says believing in God "so important" to happiness.

Trump spoke to a smaller-than-usual crowd at the Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Center, where many seats were left unfilled.

Supporters may have been dissuaded by the heavy fog that blanketed local roads all morning.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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